Metro apps running in windows on the desktop. As you can today with third-party utilities such as ModernMix, the next version of Windows will let users optionally run Metro apps in floating windows on the desktop.

Start menu. After bringing back the Start button in Windows 8.1, Microsoft will take the next logical step in the next Windows version and make the Start menu available as an option. It's possible this will appear only on those product versions that support the desktop.

If you are going to blather on about familiarity, as far as I am concerned it is fifth monkey effect.

Agreed. You've gotten so use to arguing that MS is perfect and so used to defending their cluster-f--ks that you can't even remember why it is that you like them. You just defend them because you've always defended them.

For what it's worth, I hate the ribbon bar too. Whether it's because I'm used to the old menu based system or whether it's because ribbon really is a mess - the fact remains that I can never find a sodding thing in any of the applications that use ribbon yet I can find stuff quickly in any menu based application even when I've not used it in years. So as far as I'm concerned, ribbon slows productivity and raises my stress levels - which much means ribbon fails to address the fundamental problems it set out to solve.